Changing from petrol mower to cordless electric

[woody1]

What brand(s) are you looking at that take 2 batteries in the mower?

Can't remember the brands; just did a search for 46cm cordless and many of them used 2 batteries.

[woody1]

You might also want to look at autonomous lawnmowers, e.g. the Landroid. (Basically, the outdoor version of a Roomba.) You'd need an outdoor plug socket for the docking station to connect to, and the idea is that it will automatically go back to recharge whenever necessary.

Guy down the road has got one, and it seems to work really well. Although, I'm not sure it's good for him; he's so sedentary, even the poor dog doesn't get a walk these days.

I don't mind mowing, and I actually prefer the push ones (not self-propelled) for a bit more of a workout.

[hobnob]

I don't mind mowing, and I actually prefer the push ones (not self-propelled) for a bit more of a workout.

If you want to get more exercise, you could always go for a hand push mower, i.e. no power source.
The best manual push mowers in 2025 | BBC Gardeners World Magazine
Or go really retro with a scythe!

[woody1]

If you want to get more exercise, you could always go for a hand push mower, i.e. no power source.
The best manual push mowers in 2025 | BBC Gardeners World Magazine
Or go really retro with a scythe!

Our "lawns" were originally cow pasture (mainly rye). Even decades on, the grass is pretty coarse/rough/uneven. Bowling greens they ain't. Over 300sqm of that with a hand mower would definitely be a workout!

Also, we need something that collects the clippings efficiently, otherwise the dog will be walking it in the house.

I do even wonder whether a cordless electric will struggle.

[woody1]

After doing a bit more research, apart from cutting width, which I'll opt for the same or slightly larger than the existing petrol, the biggest variable seems to be the batteries.

Ah can be misleading because machines run on different voltages (20V - 80V). Wh (V*Ah) would be more meaningful, although none of the ones I've looked at give the wattage of the motor.

I'm thinking I'll need at least 150Wh (eg. 40V * 4Ah) for 300sqm.

The other thing I'll choose is one with a brushless motor, which will hopefully extend the life of the machine.

[WTFH]

After doing a bit more research, apart from cutting width, which I'll opt for the same or slightly larger than the existing petrol, the biggest variable seems to be the batteries.

Ah can be misleading because machines run on different voltages (20V - 80V). Wh (V*A) would be more meaningful, although none of the specs I've looked at give the wattage of the motor.

I'm thinking I'll need at least 150Wh (eg. 40V * 4Ah) for 300sqm.

The other thing I'll choose is one with a brushless motor, which will hopefully extend the life of the machine.

The AK-30S battery for the Stihl is 180Wh, which they say is good for a 500m^2 lawn. I can't help you on the motor, but most of their stuff is rock solid.

[woody1]

BTW re. the use of 2 batteries.

Some manufacturers use the same batteries from smaller tools (strimmers, hedge trimmers). To get decent power/runtime in a mower from these smaller batteries, they need 2.

Other manufacturers opt for one big battery and, although these can often be used in other tools, it means lugging around extra weight.

So it's a trade-off/compromise either way.

[Stevep42]

I would go with two small batteries.

[WTFH]

I would go with two small batteries.

Your issue then is that you'll want 4 of them, so that 2 are on charge while the others are in use.
Unless you have already invested in a particular system, the sensible decision is to get the best solution for your particular requirement.
Anyone who has used battery tools will tell you that sure they have a range of xWh which might be enough to do your lawn and still have charge left, but what happens in reality is that you don't recharge after every use, and invariably you'll get half way round and run out. So, a few weeks after buying your first battery tool, you buy a spare battery (or set of batteries). It gets better as you expand your system, but I'd still suggest having at least 1 more battery (or set of batteries) than the number of tools you have that uses them.

[woody1]

My ideal mower (this doesn't exist AFAIK) would have removable battery(s) but you wouldn't have to remove them to charge them. Plug a cable into the mower and it charges the battery(s) in situ. In effect, the mower acts as a charging station for batteries for other tools. Then it wouldn't matter how many batteries it had.

At the moment I'm leaning towards this reasonably priced one from Lawnmaster:

https://www.cleva-uk.com/products/la...less-lawnmower

46cm (18")
48v 4Ah (~200Wh)
Brushless motor
Up to 450m2

The only thing I'm not so keen on are the 2 batteries and 2 chargers but the 24v batteries can be used in their other tools. They do a reasonable looking hedge trimmer (bare tool) for under 50 quid.

Not sure about the rear roller either. Not bothered about stripes and sounds like it could be more of a bother. Hopefully it can be removed if it's a nuisance.